


Our Future

by Akiko_Natsuko



Series: Zervis [2]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Character Death, Choices, Death, F/M, Family, Grief/Mourning, Illusions, Love, Magic, Memories
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-12
Updated: 2019-02-12
Packaged: 2019-10-26 20:55:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17753363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akiko_Natsuko/pseuds/Akiko_Natsuko
Summary: “What is he called?”“Larcade, his name is Larcade,” Mavis doesn’t know where the name came from, just that it feels right. And that it is correct as Larcade turns to peer at her with wide eyes, her heart swelling as he smiles up at them, eyes bright.“Mama…Papa…”There are tears on her cheeks now. She had forgotten that day, forgotten about the future they had briefly dreamt of. The future she had given them a glimpse of. The rest of that day had been spent playing with him, showing him the forest, showing him their magic…light and dark… showing him the world, and at the end of it, she hadn’t been able to banish him.





	Our Future

    The pleasure was fading now, although the intense heat and weight of it lingered, keeping her on her knees and Mavis struggled to focus on her breathing. _This magic_ , there was something strangely familiar about it, and she frowned, her head bowed as she stared at the ground as words stirred in her memory _. ‘I want him to know all the pleasures of life that we have never experienced, that we might never feel.’_ Her eyes widened, memories rising to the surface, stirring in the wake of those words – the words that she had said to Zeref once upon a time, back when she’d dreamt of a happier future, and her eyes burned with unshed tears as she squeezed them shut.

    _It had been a lazy afternoon, the muggy heat having long since pulled Zeref into a slumber, and Mavis wasn’t far behind although she was fighting the pull, enjoying the sight of him utterly relaxed for once and giggling as he snored softly. Her eyes were just beginning to drift shut, the warmth finally overwhelming her as well when she heard a soft noise, blinking sluggishly as she glanced around in search of the source. Yuri and the others had lectured her endlessly on staying alert, even when she was with Zeref and she didn’t want them telling her off again. It didn’t take her long to realise that Zeref no longer looked peaceful, his brow furrowed as he tossed his head from side to side, and the noise came again, and this time she easily recognised it as a whimper, the sound tugging at her heart._

_“Zeref? Zeref!” She called, moving cautiously across to him, aware that it was not wise to sneak up on him, but unwilling to leave him be when he whimpered again. “ZEREF!” Her voice came out a little shriller than intended, but it did the job, jerking him out whatever dream had been haunting him and her eyes narrowed at the expression on his face as he blinked at the sky. There was longing there, similar to the expression he had worn when first explaining about his curse. An expression that she had been able to chase away with her illusion, and pain - pain so deep that her breath caught in her throat, and she hesitated a moment before asking softly. “What were you dreaming about?”_

_For a moment, there was nothing but silence, and she thought that maybe he wasn’t going to answer her, and it wouldn’t have been the first time he had refused to share personal information. For all the time, they were spending together, they still barely knew each other and yet she fiercely wanted him to tell her, to trust her, to respond to the growing warmth in her heart when they were together, and yet she forced herself to wait. Eventually, he tilted his head to look at her, expression neutral once more, although his dark eyes seemed more shadowed than usual as he studied her before turning away with a sigh._

_“The past…and the future.”_

_“Our future?” She couldn’t keep the hope out of her voice. She had made a future for herself, first after Tenroujima, then after losing Zera, and it was going from strength to strength, her guild growing by the day. And her dream had grown with it, and yet she still dared to dream about more. About them, and the thought that maybe Zeref was thinking about that too…_

_“Maybe,” Zeref sounded confused by his own words, a slight frown darkening his face as he glanced at her for a moment before turning back to the sky, stretching out a hand as though to try and capture something that only he could see. “I saw a family, but…” The pain was there in his expression again, deeper than before and Mavis crept closer, wanting to help, but not sure whether it was the past or the thought of the future that was bothering him. However, her movement had not gone unnoticed, and he turned back to her, a slight quirk to his lips. “I have thought about it though, our future.”_

_“And?”_

_“I don’t know,” he admitted. “We…” He gestured awkwardly between the two of them, the careful distance that she was still maintaining and understanding dawned._

“ _It doesn’t have to be now,” Mavis reassured him with a smile, her heart doing weird jumps in her chest…because he had thought about it. “But one day…one day we will find a way to fix this curse, and then…”_

_“Then, maybe…”_

_They settled into a comfortable silence after that. Nothing had been decided. There was no promise made, and yet it was clear that something had shifted, and Mavis jumped when she felt him tentatively twining their fingers together a few minutes later. Yet her heart and thoughts would not settle. She knew that he was right to hesitate, that right now there was no way to have that future…but there was a longing in her heart now, a desire to see what they could have if only for a moment. It was nearly ten minutes later than inspiration struck, eyes widening as she sprang to her feet, twirling with a giggle so that she could beam down at a confused Zeref._

_“Mavis?”_

_“Watch!” She ordered, ignoring his pout at her tone before turning away and focusing on her magic, trying to remember how it had felt with Zera. She didn’t want this to be an ordinary illusion, and she wished that she had asked her friend to teach her how, although she suspected the older girl would have refused for fear that she would use it to keep her alive. Zera, please help me with this…_

_Closing her eyes, she focused on her magic, letting her breathing deepen, calming the fluttery feeling in her stomach and chest, and forcing the joy that Zeref had thought about the future away. Focusing on the here and now as she called to mind his face and hers, smiling slightly because they would make such beautiful children. Dark-haired children with wild green eyes…Blond-haired children with ebony eyes that could see right into your heart and her smile grew at that thought as her magic wrapped around it, giving it shape, giving it form. The sharp gasp that followed had her eyes flying open, breathing heavily as though she had just fought a battle, magical exhaustion washing over her. But she couldn’t care about that, because there stood just in front of her was a tiny, blond-haired child staring up at her with wide eyes - with Zeref’s eyes._

_“Mavis….” Zeref whispered from behind her, and she glanced back at him, taking in the stunned expression and the small smile that he couldn’t quite contain. “You…” He trailed off, clearly struggling to find the words as he slowly rose to his feet before giving up and settling on murmuring. “He has your hair.”_

_“But he looks like you,” Mavis replied just as softly, overwhelmed by her success and the fact that Zeref was smiling, his eyes soft and her voice trembled as she corrected herself. “He looks like both of us.” He really does, she realised as she turned back to study the child, easily picking out hints of her own features and Zeref’s, and there were tears in her eyes as she slowly moved towards him, noticing that he was still studying them both with curious eyes and a hint of wariness. “Hello.” She crouched in front of him, a short distance still between them so that he could come to her in his own time. He might have been born from her magic, but this is different, just as Zera was different and so she waited patiently for him to decide what to do._

_“Hello…” He echoed, voice shy and she smiled encouragingly as he took a trembling step forward and that seemed to be what he was waiting for because suddenly he was in her arms, tiny arms clutching at her and for a moment she couldn’t breathe. Because he was warm and solid in her arms - he was real, and she blinked back sudden tears at the thought that he might one day disappear like Zera had.  And she buried her face into his shoulder, her exhaustion forgotten as she tries to strengthen the spell, unsure of whether it is doing anything._

_They both look up at the sound of movement behind them, the boy tensing for a moment before peering wide-eyed at Zeref who has stepped closer, his own eyes wide as though he still doesn’t believe what he is seeing and Mavis slowly pulls back, nudging the child forward. Her tears are forgotten as she watches Zeref reaching out to gently brush his fingers against pale skin, seeing him jolt at the warmth…at the life beneath his fingers, and she is smiling when he glances up at her, and she can see a faint echo of that earlier pain, although it is hastily hidden._

_“What is he called?”_

_“Larcade…his name is Larcade,” Mavis doesn’t know where the name came from, just that it feels right. And that it is correct as Larcade turns to peer at her with wide eyes, her heart swelling as he smiles up at them, eyes bright._

_“Mama…Papa…”_

   There are tears on her cheeks now. She had forgotten that day, forgotten about the future they had briefly dreamt of…the future she had given them a glimpse of. The rest of that day had been spent playing with him, showing him the forest, showing him their magic…light and dark… showing him the world, and at the end of it, she hadn’t been able to banish him. Not when he had stared at her with Zeref’s eyes, calling them ‘mama and papa’ in such a sweet voice, not when Zeref had smiled more in that one day than he ever had before even if it was tainted by a sadness that she didn’t understand. And so, he had remained, hidden away even from the guild because he was theirs…their secret, their future and their hope. He had been the one that she had wanted a future for…it had been his pleasure that she had spoken of, his happiness, free from their curses and their magic.

   But still, he had been an illusion. Admittedly the most powerful one that she had ever created, one that everyone could see, everyone could touch…but an illusion all the same. He should have faded with her death, and she squeezed her eyes shut, fresh tears on her cheeks at the realisation that she had forgotten him. That at some point she had allowed that beautiful child to fade from her memories, and her fingers dug into the skin of her chest, the pain more bearable now because she deserved it for forgetting the child who she had created.

“Larcade…”

_Zeref what have you done?_

****

   The same memory was playing through Zeref’s mind as he stared out of the guild window, it was always the same. Larcade’s magic the few times it had been used against him always dragged up memories that were better best forgotten. Or maybe it was the fact that Mavis had been in front of him not that long ago, still the same as she had been all those years ago, although the simple affection and love she had shown him back then was gone. He wondered if she even remembered that afternoon, or if she would recognise the magic or their son. Dark eyes closed, remembering the shock, and the warmth that had flooded him that afternoon when she had first created Larcade. In all honesty, he hadn’t been thinking of their future then, his nightmare had been the all too familiar one of losing Natsu…he had been thinking of his family, a family that he had lost…but he hadn’t lied when he said he had thought about a future with her, although he had never thought that it would be possible.

   Those precious days spent with the two of them had been like something out of a dream, but it had been happiness that was constantly tainted by the past. He had never been able to banish the memories of the family he had lost, of Natsu, and too many times to count blond hair had become pink, those black eyes so like his own morphing to warm olive.

   Even now he wasn’t entirely sure what had made him save Larcade that day. All he knew was that the moment he had realised that the illusion…that his son…their son was vanishing along with his mother, he had to do something, anything to stop himself from losing another family. He had corrupted the gift she had given him, his dark magic giving Larcade life, giving him magic, but it hadn’t been the same. He had raised the child from a distance, unable to let go, but unable to get close and not just because the boy was a reminder that Mavis was gone or because of his curse. But because at times he was painfully like his uncle, and it hurt, it hurt more than Zeref could bear at times. He wasn’t blind to the resentment, and he knew that Mavis would have been furious with him if she knew what he had done. However, he couldn’t bring himself to regret it, because despite his mistakes, even though Larcade wasn’t Natsu, and wasn’t truly their son, he was the only thing left of a future that had long since been lost.

_Mavis, I tried to hold onto a little bit of that future…_

****

    Mavis had forced herself to move, body protesting each step, her heart wavering between a chaotic mix of hope and fear, anger and joy as she stumbled forwards. Even if she couldn’t do anything, even if it were too late to make amends for forgetting the child she had created, she had to see with her own eyes. She had to find out what Zeref had done to keep an illusion alive, to give him magic. She had never expected to him standing there. Still a painfully perfect blend of herself and Zeref. Older, but still unmistakably the child that had smiled at her and called her mama that warm afternoon torturing a girl with a malicious grin that reminded her painfully of Zeref. She was moving before she was aware of what she was doing, the mage in his grasp wasn’t of Fairy Tail, but if she was here now she was an ally, and she couldn’t. No, she wouldn’t let her son kill someone in front of her eyes.

“Stop!” She shouted, darting into his path and throwing her arms out wide as though that would be enough to shield the girl that was crying out behind her. For a moment, he didn’t seem to react, and she felt something unpleasant curl in her stomach at the blankness in the dark eyes and the malicious grin, but then he seemed to blink, seeing her properly for the first time. Dark eyes widening as he met her gaze, and she could vaguely feel the magic fading. Risking a glance behind her just in time to see the girl being released from the tentacles, falling to the ground with a whimper that reassures Mavis that she is still alive for now, and then her attention snapped back to Larcade as she heard a whisper she had thought she would never hear again.

“M-mama…”

   His eyes are wide, not as innocent as they were back then, but glittering strangely and it takes her a moment to realise that he is close to tears.

“Yes,” she swallows thickly, taking a step towards him and this time she is the one to reach out with a trembling hand. “Larcade.”

“Stay back…” Something, panic perhaps flashes through his eyes and he backs away, shaking his head and Mavis feels a fresh pang of guilt at his expression. But she can’t back away, not now that he is in front of her and instead of heeding his words she steps forwards again, her eyes never leaving his even when pleads with her. “Stay away…”

“No.” Now that she is this close to him she can feel it. Zeref’s magic, entwined with an echo of her own and she closed her eyes as understanding dawned, nausea rising. His magic, the magic that had raised countless demons, he had used that to give her illusion life, he had made Larcade real in a way that she never could. Yet at the same time, he had destroyed him, tainting the innocent child that they had played with, that they had loved and a soft sob welled up before she could stop it. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry…” It’s no longer just an apology for forgetting him, but for allowing him to be forced to live with Zeref’s magic, for the dawning realisation that he is real and alive, and that he is a threat to Fairy Tail.

A threat that she has brought on them.

“W-why?” The question forces her to open her eyes, he sounds so confused, and when she looks at him, he looks young and confused, and she longs to wrap him up in a hug, but he is still leaning defensively away from her. “Why are you crying?”

“Because I forgot, and because I missed so much…I didn’t get to see you grow up,” she whispered. He had never had a chance to age as Zera had, her time with him and been too short and it hurt to look at him, all grown up and more handsome than she could have imagined and know that she hadn’t been there for any of it. “Because this-this was not the future I wanted for you.” She had never thought that her wish would lead to magic like this, magic that would be used against her guild, or against her. But then what choice did he have, he hadn’t been raised by her, he hadn’t been raised by the guild but by their enemy. Her darkening thoughts were abruptly cut off as something warm, and painfully real slammed into her, and it took her a moment to realise that he had moved forwards, yanking her into a tight hug. Part of her wanted to sink into the embrace, to savour a moment that she knew could last, but at the same time she was confused by the abrupt shift from wariness to the desperate hug that was threatening to steal her breath and even as her own arms crept up to return the hug she had to ask. “Larcade?”

“You care…” It was soft, wondering…not really a question, although she could tell that he wasn’t sure whether to believe it or not, and she nodded firmly, idly noting that she barely came up to his chest before leaning back up to meet his gaze, startled to see tears on his cheeks now.

“Of course I care,” she replied gently, reaching up to cup his cheek with her hand before adding softly, possessively. “You’re my son.” She feels the shudder that goes through him at those words, half preparing herself for him to rip himself away. Instead, he stills for a minute before a broken noise that is half sob, half wail escapes as he slumps to his knees, burying his face against her and her eyes widen as she feels tears soaking into her clothes. For a moment, she is frozen, but then she is pulling him closer, not sure what wound her words have opened and not caring because his arms are tight around her, and she can hear him whispering, calling her ‘mama’ over and over again in a lost voice.

   She’s not sure how long they stay like that, Larcade on his knees and clinging to her as though she is the only thing keeping him anchored, her arms around him in turn although one hand has moved up to comb softly through his hair. Eventually, though he quietens, the occasional hiccupping sob still wracking his body and after a couple more minutes he pulls back, staring at her with red-rimmed eyes and she hesitates for a moment before reaching out to brush away some of the tears that still cling to his skin, feeling him leaning into the gentle touch.

“How…how can you say that so easily? How can you sound so happy that I’m your son, when…?”

“When?”

“Father, he doesn’t see me,” Larcade replies, voice barely a whisper and there is a distant look in his eyes that speaks of pain and Mavis wants to pull him close again, but he’s still talking, and she lets him, sensing that he needs to get the words out. Noting that Zeref who had always been ‘papa’ was not relegated to ‘father’. “Not anymore, if he ever did.” _He did,_ she wants to protest, remembering the wondering look and half smile when she had first created Larcade, but somehow the words won’t come, trapped between the memory of the sadness that always lingered in Zeref’s gaze and words whenever the three of them had been together. “I’m not the child he wanted to protect, or the family that he thinks about every day.”

“I…” She can’t defend him, the words dying before they’re even formed, and she sighs before taking a deep breath. “I see you.” It’s true, he is there, and he is real, and he is perfect. And there are tears gathering in the corner of her eyes because when she looks up, she can see Zera, just an echo of her old friend standing behind him and watching them with a sad expression.

“Really?”

“Really,” she whispers, but now her attention is on Zera. On the gaze that reminds her of the day that she had realised the other girl was nothing more than an illusion, and that she had to let her go, and her breath catches when that gaze turns towards Larcade. _No…_ She wants to scream her denial to the sky, wants to protest and fight against it like she did back when Yuri told her the truth about Zera, but she can’t. Because she is older and wiser now, and she can’t escape reality, especially not when the devastation of their war stretches out around them. Her own body still barely the lingering ache from everything that has happened, or when the mage that had been attacked is stirring weakly, drawing her attention to another still form a little beyond and she swallows thickly before refocusing on Larcade who is staring at her as though she has just given him the greatest gift in the world. “Larcade…” She pauses, wanting to ask if he would leave Zeref if he would turn his back on this war, but she swallows back the words, realising that one way or another there can be no way she and Zeref will survive this war and that Larcade would share their fate.

“Mama…?”

   This time the name pierces her, and she has to blink back tears as she meets his gaze once more, hesitating before reaching out to cradle his face in her hands. He is warm and solid beneath her touch, his breath tickling her fingers and her heart aches, because this was not the future she dreamed of back then, this was not the future she had wanted for them, or for him. But then the future, any future has changed so much just in the space of a few days. The war…Her awakening…Seeing Zeref again and realising that anything that had existed between them was broken and tainted, irreparable after everything he had done and planned to do…Makarov…The knowledge that she couldn’t let Zeref win this war, that she had to bring him down, and that she would likely fall with him. That there is no future for them, and no future for her son who is now staring at her with concerned eyes and something shatters in her chest as she sees a hint of understanding. Comprehension dawning in his expression and she is stunned when he leans into her touch rather than yanking away as she might have expected.

“Will you always see me?”

“Of course!!” _For as long as I am alive and even beyond, I will never forget you again…_

“Then it’s okay…” He whispers, her heart hammering in her ears at his words. At his understanding, at the relief and happiness from her answer and she hates it. Hates that for all her dreams, all her magic, this is the only future she can give him. The only promise that she can keep, and she closes her eyes, jolting as a soft, familiar voice whispers in her ear.

_He_ _came from you. He is part of you regardless of what other magic contributed to his existence, you can let him go, just as you let me go…._

   When she opens her eyes again, there is no trace of Zera to be seen, but there is a lingering warmth in her chest that tells her that the other girl is there, as she has always been. Only this time it feels like she is waiting, and Mavis realises that she’s waiting for Larcade, for the illusion that Mavis had once pleaded with her to help her bring into reality.

   It hurts, the pain she felt at banishing Zera paling in comparison as she leans forward and presses a kiss to the cross on his forehead, something he had gained since childhood. Tears trickling down her cheeks when he leans up and kisses her softly on the cheek, smiling at her as he sinks back, painfully tranquil as he waits and she hates it. She wants him to fight for the life, for the future she had wanted him to have, but he is calm, smiling up at her as though already at peace and she takes a deep shuddering breath before taking a step back.

“I love you. I always have, and I always will just for being you,” she whispers, needing him to know that. Wanting him to know that at least one of his parents wanted him for himself, wishing that just once Zeref could have said that to him. That he could have looked past whatever was haunting him and remember the bright-eyed child they had played with in the past. “Larcade…” Her voice chokes, a lump in the back of her throat as she shakes her head helplessly before closing her eyes. It is the opposite of back then, as she’s no longer imagining a future or a perfect combination of herself and Zeref. Instead, she’s pulling her magic towards herself, confronting the reality that he was an illusion just as she had with Zera. It is harder than it was with Zera, Zeref’s magic fighting to stop her, fighting to keep him alive, but she is relentless, her heart breaking with each second that passes/ Unable to do anything about the tears that are falling in a steady stream now and finally there is a feeling of release. She gets a brief impression of warm fingers brushing hers, and her eyes snap open, but he is gone, and there is a new warmth and a new pain in her chest and a whisper lingering in her ears.

_Thank you, mama…_

**

   Zeref knew what was happening the moment that Larcade began to fade, pain, both emotional and physical tearing at his heart and it was a battle to keep his expression neutral, hands clenching against the window frame. He had already shown too much weakness around Mavis when she had been in his grasp. But that didn’t stop his hand from slipping up to rub at his chest. Feeling the void that had opened, the magic that had kept Larcade alive returning to him and he closed his eyes as he realised that it hurt more than he had ever thought possible and he closed his eyes as he added another name to the mantra in the back of his mind.

_Natsu…Mavis…Larcade…._

**

   Mavis wants to stay there longer, tears still flowing and heartbroken sobs still wracking her body, but she knows that there is still a war to fight and that she has to fight it with them. Laxus’ pleas still echoing in her ears. Makarov’s pain and determination at the sight of his family, his children suffering in front of his eyes and gradually her expression hardens and she straightens. She had not really understood his pain at that moment, but as she curled her fingers, remembering the last warm touch and as she glances down and sees the evidence of Larcade’s tears soaked into the front of her dress she understands. Her expression darkening as she turns towards Magnolia, green eyes easily seeking out the guild building, seeking out her target…her goal…knowing that Zeref is waiting for her.

_You destroyed our future…_

_You destroyed our son…_

_I cannot let you destroy anything else…_


End file.
